A few tense minutes later, they reached the gatehouse. It was an ancient structure, solidly built from granite blocks and lined with the dark slits of arrow loops. Stone hinges still hung from the gate posts, and beneath the archway, the spikes of a shattered portcullis were lodged in the foyer’s cracked flagstones.
When the two women stepped beneath the arch, a pair of sparkling, blue eyes appeared in the darkness of an arrow slit. “Stand where you are!” ordered a voice that seemed neither male nor female.
When the sisters obeyed, a black silhouette slipped from the arrow loop and took the ropey form of a shadow person. It stepped forward to block their way, than asked, “Do you bring obsidian?’
“No, that will come later,” answered Rhayn, taking charge of the negotiations. “For now, we have only a small gift to establish our good will, and in return we seek a favor to establish yours.”
“What is your gift?” asked the shadow.
“News regarding Umbra and the obsidian mines of Family Lubar,” answered Rhayn.
In preparation for the negotiations, Sadira had repeated to her sister all that Rikus and Er’Stali had told her about Maetan of Lubar’s relationship to Umbra, the shadow people, and the Pristine Tower. After hearing about the obsidian caravans that Family Lubar had sent in payment for Umbra’s services, Rhayn had declared she would have no trouble getting what they wanted from the shadow people.
When the silhouette expressed no interest in what she had tendered so far, Rhayn said, “We thought you might be interested in reviving the flow of obsidian caravans.”
This offer met with more success. “We will hear what you have to say,” the shadow replied. It drifted aside and faded back into the arrow slit.
“After you,” Rhayn said, motioning Sadira forward.
The sorceress stepped past the remains of the shattered portcullis, then led the way onto the narrow stairway beyond. She found that they would need to be even more careful climbing the tower than they had been in approaching it. Although each step was only a few inches long, it was also just half as wide as Sadira’s foot was long. To make matter worse, in places the staircase was so worn that it had become more of ramp, covered with a thousand years of dust and sand. The footing was so treacherous that a dune’s slip face would have been easier to ascend.
“Be careful,” Sadira said. “After coming so far, it would be a shame to get hurt here.”
“Elves do not trip on staircases,” Rhayn replied.
Sadira turned and, being especially careful of her footing, began to climb. At the same time, she asked, “Don’t you think you promised too much back there?”
“What did I pledge?” Rhayn asked.
“Nothing, I guess. But it’s what you implied you could do that concerns me,” Sadira said. “When they discover we can’t send them caravans of obsidian, they’ll be angry-and where will that get us?”
“They’ll be interested, and that’s all we need,” said Rhayn. “We may not give them obsidian at all, but we’ll find out what else they want and give that to them-or make them think we’re going to.”
Sadira shook her head. “I hope they’re not accustomed to dealing with elves,” she muttered.
They continued upward for an interminable time, choosing every step with the utmost care. Sadira’s thighs soon began to burn from the effort of endless climbing, while the strain of supporting her weight on the balls of her feet caused knots to form in her calves. The sorceress tried to ignore the pain and concentrate on her footing.
Occasionally, she paused to rest and took a moment to look out over the vista. There was not a sand dune or stretch of barren ground in sight. Everywhere she looked, the panorama was covered by some shade of green: silver-green broomgrass on the horizon, a ring of brown-tinged tortoise bushes closer in, and the blue-hued boughs of the bogo forest encircled the tower itself. If not for the risks involved in reaching the place, it would have been worth the climb just to see a panorama so teeming with plants.
During one of these short rests, Sadira asked, “Have you seen any sign of Dhojakt?”
Rhayn shook her head. “There are many creatures down there, but none of them seem to be following our path.” She motioned for Sadira to resume the climb. “Let’s go. The less time we give our culls to think, the better.”
The sisters climbed the rest of the way without stopping and soon reached the summit of the spire. The staircase ended at the wall of a small bastion, built completely of alabaster and finished with an undulating cap of ivory. Beyond the open gates, a path of limestone blocks crossed an immense basin of shimmering blue water, stopping at a minaret that rose directly out of the pond. This tower was faced with white onyx and crowned by a crystal cupola, blushing pink with the radiance of the crimson sun.
After passing through the gate, Rhayn and Sadira knelt at the edge of the pool. Despite their thirst, they hesitated to drink. The water smelled brackish and foul, while the grass-like blades of some underwater plant clogged the entire basin. In the few places where they could see to the bottom, they glimpsed a rocky growth resembling the gnarled branches a myrrh tree, save that it glowed in a dozen different shades of color, from rosy pink to jade green.
Sadira scooped up a handful of water and, ignoring the fetid smell, lifted it to her lips. When she tried to swallow the horrid stuff, her throat rebelled at the briny taste and she had to spit it back into the pool.
“That water is not for drinking,” said a shadow’s voice. The sister spun around to find a dozen shadow people standing behind them. All of the silhouettes had assumed three-dimensional form, with their burning blue eyes fixed on the woman.
As Sadira and Rhayn rose, the leader demanded, “Tell us of Umbra.”
“Who are you? asked Rhayn.
“I am Khidar, sachem in Umbra’s absence,” answered the shadow. “Tell me of Umbra.”
“First, you must answer a question for us,” said Rhayn.
Khidar stepped forward and grasped the elf by the throat. A stain of darkness began to creep up her chin and down over her shoulders. “There is nothing we must do,” the shadow growled, spewing black fumes into Rhayn’s face.
“And I don’t have to tell you what happened to Umbra,” the elf countered, answering the challenge with her own.
“True-you can die instead!”
The darkness continued to spread, engulfing Rhayn’s entire face. Realizing that either Khidar did not understand the concept of bargaining or had no wish to, Sadira said, “Tell him!”
Her sister did not seem to hear. Instead, a blackness swallowed her head and torso, Rhayn lashed out at her captor. Her fists passed right through his body, and when she withdrew them, they were also covered in darkness.
“We think Umbra was destroyed!” Sadira blurted. “Now let her go!”
Khidar released the elf, and the darkness drained from her body. She collapsed to the walkway, shivering and as pale as the limestone blocks on which she lay.
The leader faced Sadira. “Now that you know who is master in this keep, you may tell me more of what happened to Umbra.”
Sadira studied her sister for a moment, than looked back to Khidar. “Before we continue, let me explain something to you,” she said. “Rhayn and I came to the Pristine Tower because we need your help. Unless you give it to us, we’ll die before we cross the meadow at the base of this spire. So, you see, your threats mean nothing to us.”
“You would not find the Black such a pleasant place,” Khidar hissed.
“I suspect I’d find it more to my liking than becoming a half-slug and spending the rest of my life crawling through the bogo forest,” Sadira said. When the shadow did not contradict her, the sorceress continued, “Your only choice is whether to help us or not-and the same is true of us. We can tell you what we know of Umbra and the Lubar obsidian, or we can refuse.”
“In which case, you’ll die-